{MyFoodFix} Top 5 Holiday Treats

There’s just no getting out of desserts this time of year. They are EVERYWHERE!

In the spirit of tasty treats AND a desire to keep calorie intakes from going through the roof, I compiled a list of my NEW top 5 favorite nut-free and dairy-freeholiday treats. Oh, we’ll still make traditional sugar cookies, but these top 5 are my go-to recipes for toting along to parties and indulging a holiday sweet tooth.

Fruit & Pepita Chocolate Squares Inspired by this recipe in Nutrition Action (December 2014), I made a nut-free version. These elegant little chocolate squares are delicious!

In a double boiler, heat chocolate over hot water until chocolate melts and is smooth. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine pumpkin seeds, dried fruit and melted chocolate. Spread onto a baking sheet with parchment paper. Allow to cool to room temperature and cut into squares.

Marshmallow Pops This recipe was inspired by dreidel pops in Parents magazine (December/January 2014). You can color these in blue and silver sprinkles for Chanukah (and top with a Hershey’s kiss) or roll in green and red sprinkles for Christmas. For a quicker version, use pre-made icing as the “glue.”

Insert pretzel sticks into one end of marshmallow. Set aside. Mix powdered sugar and milk to make a paste. (You may need to add more powdered sugar or more milk to reach a sticky consistency.) Roll marshmallows in icing “glue” and then roll in sprinkles.

Chocolate-Dipped Apricots This is a another elegant and simple chocolate dessert. You can also use this chocolate dip for other dried fruit or fresh fruit, like oranges, strawberries or cherries.

Ingredients
25-30 dried apricots
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Melt chocolate in double boiler until smooth. Using tongs or toothpicks, tip apricots into melted chocolate. Cover 1/2 to 2/3 of apricot. Set on parchment paper-lined baking sheet and let cool to room temperature, until chocolate has hardened.

Yogurt Pretzels My children love yogurt-covered pretzels. But, I’ve found it difficult to find yogurt pretzels made in a nut-free facility. So what’s a mom to do but try to make her own? I adapted this recipe from Stonyfield Organic’s website. These were better the second day. If you use a Greek-style yogurt, the pretzels will have a tangy taste. And while I normally choose nonfat yogurt, I suggest using a 2% or reduced fat yogurt, which makes the yogurt mixture a little thicker.